Aces High
by Flyboy 62
Summary: Welcome to the Wild West where if you're not rich you'd better be smart, because otherwise you're dead. WARNING: Violence, Language, Gambling, Sexual References, Char. Death, DrugAlchohol Abuse. HieiBotan, YusukeKeiko, KuwaYukina, KuramaEveryWomanAlive
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters.

**A/N: **Alright. So I was sitting at my computer when all of a sudden Inspiration kicked down my door, flipped my bed, leapt through the air and dropkicked me square in the face. I had just seen one of those really old, baller western cowboy shoot'em ups on TV as I decided: "Dude. Should I do it? Yea dude. Fuggin do it!"

So I decided to write a fic that takes place in a setting we don't see too often anymore: The Wild West. Yeah. Badass. If I were an extremely attractive woman, I would be all over me right now.

**Chapter 1**

_**Those eyes….. There was something off about those eyes. They weren't brown, or blue, or green or anything you'd normally see…**_

"I said **empty your pockets**, friend."

"Yeah, c'mon, boy. There ain't no need for this to get…. _Messy_."

Six men breathed easy as they eyed the poor sap that they had cornered. It wasn't anything personal, the unlucky bastard had just chosen to walk down the wrong street at 2 in the morning.

_**They were unnatural. **__**Crimson like blood.**__** Red as the fires of hell…. First time I ever saw them, I had to do a double take. **_

_****_The lone wolf didn't move. You couldn't even tell if he was breathing. He just stood there for the longest time, as if he was sleeping on his feet.

"Alright, buddy. We didn't wanna play rough, but if ya won't share….." Spat one of the thieving wretches, his hand moving for his firearm at his waist. That drunken ass didn't even know what was happening before he hit the ground dead as a doorknob.

The night was quiet and still, so the sudden ringing melody of gunshots that filled the air naturally managed to stir some of the residents of the fair town of San Guadalupe.

_**Hand to God…… I could have sworn he was a ghost.**_

_****_He spun his firearms twice before sheathing them on his belt, his black cloak billowing in the breeze that danced about that hell hole. It was hot as hell that night, which you couldn't tell from looking at the man seeing as how he wore a white scarf which was tied snugly about his neck. His black sombrero was lowered in the front, basking his face in total shadow, hiding it from the dim lamplight of his surroundings. The spurs on his boots gave a soft shake as he walked casually over to one of the six bodies that now littered the street, bending down to rummage through his vest pocket. When he removed his hand, he found a golden chain with a small locket hanging from his fingers. The shadow of a desperado offered only a small smirk before concealing it on his person, turning about to face the source of a sudden, rapid stomping noise.

Sure enough, five men with guns drawn and aimed his way came to a stop not ten yards from him, all five wearing glistening badges and sporting not so friendly looks.

"Freeze!"shouted a younger man with greased back black hair. The outlaw's expression never faltered as he gave a snort, spreading his arms out wide and opening his hands as far as they were able.

"Drop your weapons, asshole. You're under arrest." the sheriff barked. If this were a more relaxing environment, maybe the bandit would have given a chuckle or two. This little whelp had closed the space between the two of them way to early. In a second he could cut this brat's throat with the blade concealed in his sleeve and use him as shield against the other officers.

Instead, he offered only a nod as he opened up his cloak to reveal his weaponry. The men couldn't help but gawk at the sight. At least eight pistols and four knives could be plainly seen, and no doubt he had more tucked away hidden somewhere in there.

"Kuwabara, disarm him." The sheriff ordered. An orange haired depute standing behind him gave a startled look.

"W-ait, me?! No way, Urameshi, I'm not goin anywhere NEAR that guy!" He exclaimed.

"Just shut up at do it, dammit!" Urameshi shouted back, keeping his eye on his target. Kuwabara hesitantly moved in and started removing his utilities.

"Bear with him a sec, the jerk's new at this." The sheriff smirked at the outlaw as the carrot top fumbled with one of the guns.

"Christ, everyone has always gotta be so damn critical…." The depute started but was cut off by the sound of a groan coming from their right. One of those rats was still breathing, and low and behold was pointing a gun straight at the bandit's head, who was now giving a look of disgust. Judging by his shaking hand, the oaf making love to his belt at that moment was more likely to take the shot. With a roll of the eyes he kicked the boy back, spinning about like a flash on his heel and hurling a dagger from seemingly nowhere straight into the helm of his target.

"Shit!" Kuwabara shouted, rolling about on the ground frantically looking left and right, kicking up dirt as he moved. Yusuke stayed with his gun on the marauder, his eyes now wider than before. His sombrero has moved about on his head slightly, putting his face in plain view… putting those eyes in plain view.

"Cuff him. Now."

_**…………..Only a ghost could pull off shit like that.**_

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The rays of light shone through the jailhouse's barred windows with the intensity of a raging flame that morning. No a cloud dotted the sky, letting good ol' Mr. Sun shine down on every inch of the town.

The bandit gave a low groan as he awoke, his crimson orbs squinting to adjust to the brightness of this place. Peering about, he noticed he was the only prisoner in the joint. Hell, that would just make it even more of a cakewalk to break out of this den.

"Hey, you're awake, big guy." Came a familiar voice from the right. The sheriff saw at his desk, his legs crossed and propped up as he leaned back in his chair, playing with his thumbs as he eyed the prisoner with a broad grin on his face.

The outlaw frowned. His short height was not something he was very proud of. If he had some way of strangling that bastard he would have made his face turn blue and pop.

"There's some grub in there if you're hungry." Urameshi continued, pointing to the corner of the cell. Sure enough, there sat a tray with some bread, an apple and a cup of water, "It's not shit either. Promise. My fiancé made the bread herself."

Without his hat and cloak and the shadow of the night, the bandit wasn't quite as intimidating as before. Don't get me wrong though, I still wouldn't wanna fuck with him. His black hair was truly bizarre seeing as how it defied gravity by sticking straight up and even had a white starburst in the middle of it. He took a bite out of the loaf of bread, grimacing.

"Hn. It tastes like shit." He voiced stoically, his tenor voice somewhat startling the young sheriff, who managed to shake of his surprise and offered a laugh.

"Heh, yea. I lied about it not being shit. Keiko really did make it though." He grinned, earning a smirk from his captive, "You got a name, pal?"

The desperado gave him a questioning look, but didn't stop from taking a swig of water.

"No big reason, I just wanted to thank you right for saving my buddy last night." The sheriff offered.

"They call me Hiei." The prisoner stated coolly, reaching for the apple. The boy at his desk grinned.

"I'm Yusuke. Yusuke Urameshi."

"Didn't ask." Hiei snorted, taking a massive chunk out of the fruit in his hand and chewing it slowly before swallowing, "So when do I hang?" he questioned casually.

"You're not. I found the guns on those bastards you took care of the other night along with a pretty big stash of booze, so it's not hard to put two and two together." Yusuke answered, stretching himself out before plopping his feet down on the floor.

"You should be a detective." Hiei grunted sarcastically, taking another bite from his apple.

"Heh, ya think?" The sheriff asked, leaning back in his chair a bit and letting his hands find his pockets, "Anyways, turns out they were also a couple of thieves who had been stealing from immigrants entering town, like in your situation, for a while. They had even done away with some of them. So they were dead men regardless, you just saved me the trouble of having to find their asses myself." He added with a smile, scratching the back of his head.

"Hn. So I'll be on my way then." Hiei said, getting to his feet and dropping his finished apple core.

"Eh, well I've actually got a few questions for ya." Urameshi answered, leaning forward now and propping his elbows on his desk. Hiei frowned.

"You seem to have a knack for killing. Each one of those punks you did in except the last one you managed to take out with just one bullet. To the neck. On each of them." Yusuke said, cracking his knuckles, "Hell, the one that managed to stay with us for a few extra minutes was lucky. You just grazed his jugular."

"What's your point?"

"No point. I'm just curious. I mean, I am about to let you wander around town."

"I have no intent on staying here for long. I was just looking for a bed, and I found a free one here, so if you'll excuse me…"

"What's the rush?" Yusuke questioned, furrowing his brows. Hiei narrowed his eyes.

"Hn. There's no reason for me to remain here."

"I can give ya one. Work for me." Urameshi said, locking eyes with the short bandit, "Hear me out. There are essentially two members of the force I can trust right now. That's Kuwabara, the guy you saved, and me. There are eight other deputes. Right now it looks like I'm gonna get some holes blasted in me."

"Your problem. Not mine." Hiei grunted, crossing his arms.

"Lemme finish. There's this rich prick, named Sakyou. He owns the gambling den in town and I'm almost positive that he's paying off my guys. You help me and Kuwabara deal with him, we'll make it worth your while." Yusuke finished, rubbing his nose.

"And how do you intend to do that?"

"A big ass piece of the tax dollars goes towards law enforcement. I'll just pay you gigantic wads of cash under the table." He answered simply, his grin never fading. Hiei smirked.

"Stealing from the tax payers?"

"Heh, hell no. This is a good investment. Better than spending the cash on building more cells for criminals we don't catch thanks to all of my men being paid off." Yusuke said, looking out the window for a moment and then back to Hiei.

"Come on. Afterwards you can take the money and run or whatever the hell you want. I just need a hand getting this town started down the right track." He pleaded.

"I trust that we're talking about a decent monetary figure here?" The marauder questioned, raising an eyebrow. Yusuke smirked jumped to his feet, grabbing Hiei through the bars suddenly and shaking his hand.

"You have no idea."

_**……..Only a ghost could have timing this good.**_

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**A/N: **Alright, that's the first chapter. If you want to see more, drop off a review and say so. Reviews kick ass! Flames don't kick ass, but if I really suck that bad, lemme have it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I still do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters and I never will. Lawyers, begone!

**A/N: **Thanks to ShibuNoNeko and Proxima Shining for the reviews. I'm glad the two of you are interested in the story. Hopefully more readers will join the ranks of the fan army. But, seeing as how you two fine individuals reviewed first, you can be co-tyrannical overlords and have everyone else be your personal bitches. W00t!

**Chapter 2**

"Ya see, Shorty? I'm talking about EVERYTHING here." Kuwabara explained, pointing to various buildings that the small group walked by, "The asshole Sakyou has his fingers dipped in every stinking business and shop. He's got more pull around here than even the Mayor. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he had already bought him too!"

"Hn. Then why have you yet to cut his throat?" Hiei answered stoically, taking a long drag from his cigar. Now that he was back in possession of all his gear, Kuwabara stayed a few steps away from him when they walked still. In all, they had counted ten pistols and eight knives on him.

"It's not that easy. The punk has got his own personal army of mercenaries here." The sheriff chimed in, enjoying his own smoke as well, "The biggest weapons he's got though by far are the Toguro Brothers."

Hiei's step faltered slightly as his brow twitched. He managed to recover and hide his reaction.

"And who are they?" He asked, feigning ignorance as he almost bit down on his cigar. He inhaled deep, breathing out smoke through his nostrils.

"Real badasses. They came from somewhere up North from what I hear." Kuwabara answered, shivering slightly, "The older one looks like a real wimp, but his brother…."

"Is a giant. They've killed seventy six people. Men, women, children…. And that's just the police record. Guaranteed that's just a fraction of the real number." Yusuke grunted, "Them and their men are always nearby when you see Sakyou." He nodded as they suddenly came to a halt. They stood outside of a large and yet all around shitty looking gambling den.

"Is this where we'll find the bastard?" Hiei questioned, releasing a puff of smoke as he spoke. Yusuke shook his head.

"No, this is where we get our last partner." He answered, sounding less than enthusiastic. The bandit raised an eyebrow. "Youko Kurama. This is HIS gambling den….. it would be best if you just ignore anything he says and let me do the talking." He said, pushing pen the double doors as the three stepped inside.

It was one of the most miserable sights that you could ever take in. Drunks and druggies passed out, the air dark from smoke and the language foul as a dead oxe. Scantily clad women could be found all over, some of them completely nude and in the process of "love making", if you could even call THIS by such a name. Yusuke frowned as they made their way to a game of cards that was currently underway. A handsome man with long, flowing red hair glanced up at them as they approached, his poker face being tossed aside as he smiled, crushing his smoke into the ash tray by his left hand.

"Yusuke." He said, standing and extending his hand towards the sheriff, who took it in a firm clasp, "The day always seems to take a considerable turn for the better whenever you arrive."

"Heh. Guess I'm lucky." He answered, placing his hands on his belt as Kurama returned to his seat, drawing a new cigar from beneath his pink vest and placing it in his mouth. Beneath that he wore a long sleeved prim looking white dress shirt, the ends of the sleeves on which were quite "puffy". He wore a small smirk as he turned to a "woman" to his left, leaning his head forward.

"A light, Madame?" He spoke as she drew a match and lit it, holding it to the end of the gambler's cigar as he breathed in deep, the edge lighting aflame before he turned back to look at his hand.

"However, it is unfortunate that you rarely come about unless it is for a reason." He addressed Yusuke, counting out ten dollars in chips and tossing them into the pot. He glanced up at the small party, "I assume that this is the case for this visit as well?"

Yusuke dropped his smoke and crushed it into the ground to put it out. In most places that's considered rood, but in this, Kurama's little version of paradise, it simply joined at least fifteen other around it.

"Yeah. I need your help with the Sakyou problem." He answered, his brows furrowing, "Your offer from earlier still good?"

Kurama watched as one of his competitors met his wager before looking back up, "Yes. My offer still stands. I have to inquire, though, what makes you feel more ready to solve our little ordeal now when you hesitated to act earlier?"

Yusuke gestured to Hiei, whose face remain hidden beneath his black sombrero. Kurama snorted, raising an eyebrow as the players all flipped their cards.

"Two pair. Aces high." He announced, raking in his winnings with a smirk, "And what makes your short companion here so special? Other than an apparent un-festive chip on his shoulder, there seems to be nothing of interest to him."

"Trust me. He's got a better gun than even you, Kurama." The sheriff answered, narrowing his eyes. Kurama's smirk turned into one of annoyance.

"Then perhaps the gnome would think it fitting to display such a feat." He challenged, leaning back. In a matter of seconds every person in the room felt the hair on their necks rise up and stand still. No one had even seen him move.

The dark marauder stood with his black cloak billowing about, a six shooter in each hand. One was extended towards Kurama, the other towards the man seated across from him who was grasping a pistol of his own under the card table. Kurama's mouth simply formed an "o" as Yusuke felt a bead of sweat run down his forehead.

The sheriff almost toppled over when Kurama chuckled.

"You've made your point." He put simply, nodding his head, "When you are ready, I am ready." He stated, eyeing Hiei who now sheathed his firearms. The desperado offered a curt nod before turning his attention to a woman who was suddenly at his side caressing his chest.

"That was amazing…. You're soo brave…" She slurred in her drunken stupor. Hiei snorted and gave a scowl as he effortlessly kicked her back into a table, causing it to topple down on top of her. Kurama only laughed more as Yusuke tilted his hat to him and the three left the parlor, taking in a breath of fresh air now that they were out of that hell hole.

"Dammit, what the hell was that?! I almost crapped my pants!" Kuwabara exclaimed, immediately losing composure now that they were out.

"Hn. It earned the pimp's allegiance, did it not?" Hiei questioned, his expression emotionless as he flicked his cigar into the dirt.

"Urameshi, he's gonna get us killed!"

"Shut your mouth, oaf, before I put my foot up your-"

"Yusuke!" a feminine voice suddenly called, interrupting the argument before it could escalate further. Coming their way were two women, one with brown hair and the other with blue.

The one who had shouted, who possessed the brown hair, was short than the other and was clad only in a simple tan dress that went down to her ankles with a brown tie strapped about her waist. The other wore a foreign looking clothing, a pink kimono imported from Japan.

"Ay, Keiko!" Yusuke shouted back as his fiancé jumped in his arms and planted a big wet one right on his mouth, "Hey, Botan." He added, looking to the bluette who smiled happily.

"Yusuke, Kuwabara." She said in greeting, her eyes stopping on Hiei, "Aww, you've made a new friend?" She asked. Kuwabara and Yusuke glanced nervously at one another.

"I'm Botan." She said, introducing herself as she extended her hand. Hiei glanced at the Sheriff, his look just screaming _Do I have to_, only to receive a quick nod. Hiei restrained himself from snarling. As he took her hand and planted a quick kiss on it.

"Hiei." He stated coolly, his face a stoic mask. When he wasn't about to blow someone's brain from their skull, his smooth tenor voice and rugged looks could make any woman swoon. That would explain why Botan suddenly looked as though she were light headed.

"P-Pleasure to meet you…" She said, straightening herself out. Yusuke resisted the urge to break out laughing.

"Botan here is the mayor's daughter." Yusuke informed Hiei, giving an explanation on why politeness was suddenly so important. Hiei managed not to give a snort of unconcern. He offered a nod in her direction before his hands disappeared beneath his cloak to rest on his belt.

"What brings you to town, Hiei?" Keiko asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I sell soap." He lied. Keiko smiled and nodded, giving Yusuke an _I-don't-believe-that-for-a-second_ look which went unnoticed by the rest of the group.

"Are you just travelling through or will you be staying for a while?" Botan asked, clasping her hands together and smiling. Hiei grimaced on the inside. Never in his life had he been forced to suck up until now. Maybe the real reason he was here wasn't worth…. No. It was worth anything. Even if it meant brown nosing some spoiled brat.

"I don't expect to be here long." He answered, casting a meaningful look Yusuke's way, which gave Kuwabara the moment he needed to get payback for earlier. Slinging his arm around the bandit's shoulder(making him stiffen instantly), he gave a goofy grin.

"But while he's here it would sure be silly not to know the town, eh Hiei? Maybe you could show him around the town!" He suggested. Right now he felt like the smartest son of a bitch to ever grace this hellhole of a town. Botan nodded quickly.

"That's a wonderful idea, Kuwabara!" She exclaimed, looking hopefully at the short outlaw, who was screaming on the inside of his head. He wanted to kill himself for the next words that left his mouth.

"….I…. would like that very much." He almost vomited, clenching his fists. Botan clapped her hands together ecstatically.

"Alright, it's a date! I'll see you later then! By, Yusuke! Kuwabara!" She said with a wave as her and Keiko continued down the street. Yusuke burst out into a fit with Kuwabara as Hiei stood there, eyes ablaze and teeth gritting against each other in a death match.

"You will pay." He seethed, glaring daggers at the carrot top.

"Yeah, yeah. Blow it out your ass, short stop." He laughed back. Yusuke could no longer stand as he fell to his knees, the sheriff, rolling around in the dirt laughing like a maniac.

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"I saw it with my own two eyes, boss. He ain't human." Explained an exasperated man, drenched with sweat and breathing heavy after a hard sprint from Kurama's saloon, "He was like lightning!"

Before him, in a large, plush, red chair sat a dark haired man dressed in an extremely formal fashion. He wore a pinstriped black suit and tie and sat with his legs folded, allowing his newly shined shoes to gleam in the light of the room. He took a long drag from his cigar, breathing out calmly. He shut his eyes for a moment, a large scar now visible on his left one.

"First and foremost I would like to thank you for your loyalty, Mr. Ichigaki." He said, his voice suave and calculating. The man nodded feverishly, wringing his hands together in a nervous fashion, "Secondly, I am sure that you would desire fair compensation for your services."

The man nodded again, beaming like a madman as a juggernaut of a man appeared from the shadows at the "Boss's" right. His hair was black and trimmed in a crew cut fashion and he wore a pair of dark spectacles over his eyes. Even through his clothing, which was nothing more than common, you could see his rippling muscles.

"Unfortunately, I did not reach where I am today by throwing around _handouts_…" The man trailed off as the giant suddenly stepped forward, grabbing the servant who gave out a quick yelp before his head was twisted about in a three hundred and sixty degree circle, a sickening crack filling the room before the body fell limp to the ground.

"Have his body burned out back, Toguro. We don't need that annoying sheriff being any more of an annoyance than he already is." The boss ordered, taking another blow from his cigar. The giant nodded.

"Yes, Mr. Sakyou." His deep and bone chilling voice answered as he effortless tossed the dead carcass over his shoulder with one hand, "What do you think of this ghost? Maybe this rat over embellished his story a tad."

"Good point. However, it's an unnecessary risk to turn a blind eye to such a problem. If Urameshi has truly made such a friend, he needs to be dealt with immediately."

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Day and night in the place were like yin and yang. For all the cursing and shouting of the day, it was completely silent at night. The only lights out tonight were the stars above, and then full moon staring down on them.

Perched upon a tree branch, his sombrero hanging down his back as he sat, was the silent Hiei. His crimson orbs were locked in a staring match with that massive beacon of light in the sky, its dim illumination giving him a paler look.

In a bandaged hand he held a small, silver locket which hung from a thin chain. Fondling it slightly, he snapped it open and gazed at the small portrait within, his eyes showing a longing that his face would not.

"Hn….. I'm one step closer to you…."

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**A/N:** Alright, that's chapta 2. I take all reviews, signed anonymous and flames so toss'em at me. If one of you has good enough an arm and hits me in the eye I'll buy you a cookie.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. They are the property of Yoshiro Togashi.

**A/N: Hello. This is your conscience speaking. Why have you yet to review this academy award worthy story? WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU?!! REVIEW!!**

**Chapter 3**

_The smok__e and ash danced over the boy's nostrils and face, slowly radiating around his form as he stood, hazel eyes wide open as sheer horror wracked his entire body. All that the innocent child had ever __known,__ ever cherished, ever loved….. __was__ gone. __Consumed in the raging flame that burned before him, consuming all that had once made up his life._

_His legs buckled, no longer able to support his heavy and broken soul, forcing him to his knees, his gaze never breaking from the great fire before him that roared through the desert night, ripping upwards as though it were a funnel into the sky._

_All that he could do was try to fight the weak whimpers and sobs that escaped from his trembling lips, his fists clenching as the tears began to flood down his smooth cheeks. It was then that, from the corner of his defeated gaze, through the searing flames and __smoke, that__ he spotted him:_

_The embodiment of all that he would hate.__The epitome of evil and rage.__The bastion of darkness._

_He sat there, calmly and without remorse, upon his mighty black steed, his dark overcoat billow__ing about him as the horse moved about in place at the head of his men. Slowly the boy's eyes moved over them, taking them in one at a time as his memory caught every one of their faces in its web. _

_The men were a band of mercenaries. Killers for hire who took as they pleased and gave nothing back, destroying anything that would stand in their way. They were the __Toguro__ "Family", headed by the two brothers whom actually possessed the family name. The giant of a man before the small child was the __youngest__ of the two, but the leader._

_The boy's hands clutched at the dirt beneath them rigidly, his frame shaking as he gritted his teeth together. In the flames before him he could see various parts of what was once his home, now being reduced to nothing more but ash. He could smell the burning flesh of his mother and father, enveloping his miniature frame in blackness. __But not his sister__'__s.__ No. Not hers. She was safe. She lay beside him out of harms way._

_But she would not wake again. It was just her shell that he had managed to save from the heat of the flames, not her soul. He moved to her and cradled her bloody form in his hands, __holding it close to his chest as his eyes remained fixed on the killers, who now turned and galloped off into the distance._

_Innocence was gone, co__nsumed by that raging fire. But that was not the only thing that the flames claimed. The brilliant hazel that was once the __boys__ eyes now burned an enraged crimson, the color of spewing blood and burning embers. Those irises would never return to their original shade again….. __at__ least not in his lifetime._

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_**Click.**_

That was all that it took to wake the sleeping bandit. His eyes shot open as his hand, moved instantly to his belt.

"I wouldn't be doing that." Barked a voice from below. Slowly, Hiei's eyes moved downwards to the seven men standing around the base of the tree, firearms drawn and pointed directly at him.

"Why don't you come down here and make a friend or two." The man at the head ordered, a small smirk playing on his lips. His hair was long and black, cascading down his back. His face was sunken and pale, and to tell the truth… he looked like a vampire. But that was the least of his concerns. What truly failed to catch his eye was the blue haired damsel clutched the grubby paws of one of the thugs.

"Hiei!" Botan shouted, only to have a hairy and sweat stained hand slap down over her mouth, making her cries muffled. Hiei scowled, rolling left and flipping down off of the tree branch and landing before the men. Straightening himself out, he cracked his neck.

"Were I wearing your shoes I would tell me quickly why you disturbed my sleep." The bandit growled. Botan continued to squirm in the man's hands.

"Hurry up, Karasu. She's feisty. I don't know how long I can hold her." He laughed, earning a smile from the leader.

"No real big reason. It's just that I've got this friend." Karasu started, moving his weapon to a more relaxed position as he circled Hiei, scanning him up and down as he licked his lips, "And this friend knows everybody." He continued. Hiei resisted the rising urge to grimace as he felt the man's breath dance over the hairs on his neck, "But my friend… doesn't know you." Karasu finished, coming to a stop in front of him once again, offering a demented sort of grin.

"Hn. Then he's not as popular as you thought." Hiei snorted, now humor showing in his eyes. Karasu chuckled, shaking his head.

"Alright, we'll do it your way and cut the bullshit." He announced, his smile fading, "Boss Sakyou doesn't like people he doesn't know, and there are some people he does know that he doesn't like."

"Get to your point." Hiei barked, causing the man to jump slightly.

"The point is, he doesn't like the sheriff. And we've seen you hanging around with him quite a bit lately. The two of you look like good pals…. And that's a problem." Karasu continued, now scowling and raising his gun. Hiei never broke eye contact with him, "So how's about you come and enjoy a cigar with us and the Boss, and your pretty little girlfriend here can skip on home."

Hiei smirked. This man was just some messenger boy. Not worth his time.

"I usually smoke just after I eat. Come back in an hour or so once I've fixed breakfast." He grunted, turning his back on Karasu, whose face was now turning red.

"IN AN HOUR YOU'LL BE SMOKING IN HELL!" He roared, firing his gun. Time seemed to slow down for that brief moment as the bullet ripped through the air and into Hiei's cloak, disappearing into the darkness within. At the same time, two revolvers were drawn in its place, one in each of Hiei's wrapped hands as his fingers danced on the triggers, arms moving about as he fired off into the men.

Karasu went down quick enough. One bullet tore through his kneecap, forcing him down to the ground where a second made a hold right in the middle of his forehead, blood blowing out the back of his destroyed helm. The other men fired off their rounds as well, their inexperience truly showing as most of the shots whizzed right by the bandit as he nailed each one of his with expert precision.

Botan shrieked in terror as a shot whizzed just by her head and into her captor's neck, making him stagger back as a fountain of blood spewed through the air, some of the liquid splashing on her fine dress as the thug fell to the ground.

"Hn." Hiei murmured, sheathing his weapons and looking to her stoically, hands disappearing into his cloak as she stumbled forward a tad.

"H-Hiei.."

"Why are you here?" He questioned coolly, drawing a cigar and lighting it, inhaling deep and letting the smoke fill his lungs before breathing out. So he had lied about only smoking after he ate. Big deal.

"Yusuke h-had told me where you were staying the night… I thought I would c-come see if you wanted that tour today…." She said quietly, looking about in a shaken manner at the corpses before back to him, "How… How did you…."

"Where was the detective when you saw him last?" He asked, taking another drag.

"At his home with Keiko. Why.. do you…. Do you think they were attacked too?!"

"Hn. Go home woman." Hiei answered, giving her an annoyed look while walking around her and towards the main plaza.

"What? No, I can help! I can use a gun!" She exclaimed, lifting up the front of her dress as she ran to catch up with him. He doubled his pace.

"I said go home." He repeated, his eyes narrowing and managing to stay fixed ahead. Yusuke's house… they had passed it the other day and the sheriff had shown him around the outside. He just couldn't place his tumb on where exactly it was.

"But I swear…"

"Fine. Where is the house?" He barked, giving a glance.

"Down this alley!" She answered, practically sprinting just to keep up with him. He removed a six shooter from his belt as he moved, restocking it with bullets without even looking at it. Spinning the chamber and slamming it back into the firearm, he handed it to Botan.

"Do what you want." He murmured before breaking into a run, seeing the house. Darting up the steps, he leapt through the door, knocking it off of the hinges and aiming a handgun all about before looking up the stairs, where he could hear a commotion. Bounding up, he rounded a corner into a bedroom to find a scantly clad Keiko shaking under the covers and staring at her fiancé, who stood in nothing but a pair of boxers over the bodies of four men, a small revolver in his hand. Blood ran down his side from a bullet wound in his chest as he looked to the doorway at Hiei, giving a weak smirk.

"Heh… so they paid you a visit too?" He asked, grimacing suddenly as he felt the wound sting when he tried to move. The bandit nodded, stepping towards him and examining it.

"Don't worry about it. It's not like a I haven't been shot before. I know what to do." He laughed, turning to look at Keiko who was still wide eyed.

"Hey, It's over. We're fine." He said softly, moving over to her and letting her throw her arms around his neck. Hiei frowned and put away his firearm just as Botan entered the room, looking about and crying out in shock.

"Gracious, are you alright?!" She exclaimed, running over to her friends.

"Y-yes… we're fine." Keiko answered, regaining her composure. Yusuke scowled, looking to Hiei.

"You think it was…."

"Hn. It was Sakyou. His errand boy told me before I lodged a bullet in his head." He answered, turning and leaving the room.

"Where are you going? We have to go to the station and get Kuwabara and the rest of the deputes together! And then Kurama!"

"I doubt that they were not hit as well. They'll find you soon enough."

"Then why are you leaving?" Yusuke barked, stepping away from Keiko and towards the doorway where Hiei stood. The short marauder removed his cigar from his mouth, staring at it for a brief moment before taking a deep puff, exhaling through his nose.

"Because I don't have time to waste waiting for your friends. I'm dealing with the slug now so I can be on my way." He answered.

"Dammit, just wait until we at least have a plan! Have you forgotten those mercenaries I told you about?! They'll skin you alive!" The Sherriff exclaimed, trying to reach the bandit's sense of reason. Hiei simply smirked, his crimson orbs narrowing.

"….You don't know the half of it." He muttered before disappearing through the entrance leaving a furious sheriff, an exasperated bluette, and a shocked wife-to-be behind as he let the door slam shut behind him.

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**Alright.**** I made the action happen a little soon at the expense of some story and plot development in hopes of getting a few reviews. Tell me what you want to see happen or what you don't like. Hell, tell me if I should stop writing. ****Poice**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters! NOW GET OFF MY PORCH!

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews, esteemed friends who I hold in high regard! Inikus, I got the PM so no hard feelings about you thinking I'm a girl. You might also be surprised to learn that I am, in fact, not even gay! Yea for being straight! Go me!

But I think that's enough discussion about my sexual orientation for a good month and a half, so here's chapter 4! Hopefully you'll all enjoy this one, as it features a traditional and somewhat clichéd western shoot-out. But stop biting your nails in angst, Senor I-bite-my-nails-out-of-angst! The tale is nowhere near through!

**Chapter 4**

_The dim candlelight of the room barely managed to banish the shadow of the night, the flame weakly dancing in place as if it knew what was to transpire. __Huddled in the corner, the mother and her two young children, one a boy and one a girl, watched as the murderers who had entered their home cornered the father as though he were a lamb surrounded by wolves._

_But he was no mere sheep. He was a lion._

_One of the killers took a quick swipe at his head with a knife, only to miss completely as his target ducked down and reached up instinctively, catching the man by the wrist and slamming the arm down on his shoulder before flipping him over and onto his back. __As the one fell, another hunter pounced, thrusting forward at its quarry's chest. Sidestepping, the man caught his attacker's arm between his massive bicep and armpit, twisting it about until it popped out of its socket, forcing him to relinquish the blade into the juggernaut's grasp._

_Two came from behind, giving a cry as they made to sink their daggers into his back, only to instead have both of their throats cut open from one mighty slash. Blood spewed through the air from their gaping necks like red fountains as their bodies hit the ground. The young girl, her teal hair now covered in spots of red, buried her face in her mother's dress as the son watched transfixed, his hazel eyes catching every movement of his father's blade._

_"Enough." _

_The remaining men backed off, their eyes never leaving the man as they cleared the way for a giant to enter through the doorway. He coolly regarded the ex-sheriff that he had come to kill, raising a massive hand to fix his dark spectacles more firmly into place. At his side was a wretched looking thing of a man, frail and weak looking, hunched over and covered in wrinkled and __decaying__flesh.__ Falling down over his face was long, tangled, beastly and grey hair__, revealing only his sadistic grin, adorned with stained fangs._

_"__Toguro__."__ The father spoke, his voice deep and rough as he straightened himself out, his grip on the knife becoming tighter. The two giants locked their gazes, one of them grim and one of them confident and savoring its upcoming victory. The man with the dark spectacles gave a slow nod, a smirk playing on his lips._

_"Had it not been for my beloved elder brother, __" He__ began, his voice deep and haunting, earning a shudder from the young boy watching as his mother and sister sobbed in fear. The giant's hand came down to rest on the shoulder of the beast at his side, "I would have been rotting away in a cell for the remainder of my life."_

_The father snarled__ taking a step forward as a bead of sweat dripped down his brow._

_"You attempted to end my life." __Toguro__ paused, his expression never faltering, "But you tried the coward's way, avoiding our inevitable confrontation by arranging for my death to be the result of madness and deterioration rather than the blaze of your gun. That is why you failed."_

_The boy could feel his legs trembling as the man speaking moved the side of his dark green trench coat out of the way to reveal a colt at his waist._

_"I, however, will not make the same weak-kneed mistake as you."He finished, giving a snap of his fingers. Another man at his side, who was even larger than he, stepped forward. Not an inch of flesh was visible, hidden away behind the sturdy wall of wrappings and bandages that made up his attire._

_"Bui, bring me the woman." __Toguro__ ordered. Before the father could so much as yell the towering being had already grabbed his wife by the back of the neck, dragging her away from the children and throwing her down upon her knees before __Toguro__, facing her husband. __Toguro's__ smug look of satisfaction remained in place as he drew his firearm and cocked it._

_"Hopefully this will provide you with a little more balls than you had before." He mused aloud before firing a shot into the back of her head, no remorse present on her face as __he__ corpse slumped to the floor._

_A man is not supposed to roar like a beast. Our throats and voices are not the same. But at that moment, that rule was broken, and for a brief few seconds the world shook._

_Thundering forward with a speed that shouldn't be attainable by a mortal, the man, seething in rage and agony at the loss of his love, threw his blade forward through the air, just skimming the side of __Toguro's__ cheek as he sidestepped. Like a gazelle he leapt forward, hurling his body through the air at the bastard__ who had just killed a part of him, only to be blasted back onto his side in a pool of blood from the fire of __Toguro's__ gun._

_He hissed in agony as he slowly squirmed back onto his knees, breathing heavily as he made ready to pounce again, his eyes wide and bloodshot. _

_"Brother," the elder __Toguro__ interjected, his lips curled into a wry grin as he dipped his fingers in the woman's life fluid, lapping it up greedily, "If I may?"_

_The younger extended __the six shooter to the wretched thing, which took it gleefully and gave a sickening purr_

_"Tell me, officer, if I enjoyed the taste of your woman's blood__.."__He trailed off, suddenly aiming the weapon directly at the children, "Do you think I would be satisfied by theirs as well?"_

_A bullet whizzed through the air, cutting through it easier than a knife through butter, from the barrel of the gun, underneath the boys arm and into the young girl he clutched in his arms. _

_"YUKINA!"__ The father cried, throwing himself in the children's direction only to receive a bullet to the shoulder, forcing him onto his back. The elder __Toguro__ laughed maniacally as the girl's body went limp in the __boys__ arms, which now shook uncontrollably as he sprang to his feet. The bloodied man coughed up blood as he cried out._

_"__Hiei__, no!"__ He screamed as the boy gave a bellow of fury, throwing a fist at the sickening freak __who__ had fired the weapon. The thing dropped low and slammed its foot into the child's gut, slamming him to the ground. Stalking over to him __like a wolf about to enjoy a feat, he scooped down low and grabbed him by the neck._

_"Alright, brat.__Wave goodbye to your daddy."__ Elder __Toguro__ convulsed as he cocked the gun in his other hand, only to suddenly cry out in pain and drop the boy._

_"__Auuggh__ He bit me! The little bastard bit me!" He wailed as he recoiled, holding his now bleeding hand before aiming __the six shooter directly at him,__ "YOU'RE DEAD!" He shrieked, his face now bubbling with shades of red and purple as he fired the bullet…_

_………and into the ceiling.__ The father slammed his dying body into the beast, tackling him to the ground and fighting it for the weapon. The cripple howled and kicked as the man connected punch after punch with its face._

_"Out the window, __Hiei__ GO!" He roared as the younger __Toguro__ approached, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him up off of the ground. The young __Hiei__ bounded to the window and leapt out into the night, glancing back over his shoulder just in time to catch the final moment of his father's life as __Toguro__ impaled him through the stomach._

_---------------------------------_

"…Yea, that's what I told her. But I'm tellin' ya once the broad's made up her mind there's no use trying to change it." The main grumbled, taking a long blow from his cigar and letting it escape through the side of his mouth. The other laughed.

"Heh, sounds like my second wife." He laughed, suddenly looking to the left of them and into the bushes, "You hear that?"

"Yea, but I thought I was goin crazy." The smoker answered, dropping the cigar and drawing his pistol as the two advanced on the shrubberies. The sound of two gunshots split the air as they both fell on their stomachs in their own little private lake of blood, the dark form of Hiei standing behind them, smoke rising off of the barrel of his pistol. Spitting on the corpses, he reloaded two shots back into his six shooter and looked ahead at the large red door in front of him. He scowled upon seeing the lock and scooped down, reaching into the vest pocket of one of the dead men and pulling out a key ring. Sticking it into the lock and turning vigorously, he kicked the door in, practically ripping it off of its hinges.

From a desk ahead of him, three men looked up, jumping from their seats and reaching for their guns.

"Who the hell - -?!" They started, cut off by the shots of Hiei's firearms. They fell slumped down right back where they were seated, one careening over the edge of the chair and landing upside down. Hiei reloaded once more, stalking up to the bodies and rummaging through their pockets for ammunition and keys. A bullet suddenly whizzed by the short bandit's head, ripping off his sombrero as he spun about, sending a spray of gunfire into the two men that had entered the room.

Sparing no time, he bounded from the room and down the hall that was now open to him, drawing a second pistol from his belt as he rounded a corner and moved up a flight of stairs, firing like a madman into a crow of seven that had come out to meet him. He cringed as a bullet pierced his side but pushed on, cracking his neck as he knelt down next to a man he had only shot in the leg and clutching his throat tightly.

"Do you.. have any idea… whose fucking building this is?!" The man bawled, breathing heavy as he clutched at his oozing wound.

"Sakyou. And you're going to tell me where I can find him." Hiei stated coolly, his expression stoic as he cocked a pistol and put it to the thug's temple, "Or I'm going to give these walls a fresh coat of paint."

"The next hall down!" The man squealed, now terrified as his assailant's crimson orbs intensified, "Third room on the right!"

"Hn." Hiei snarled, punching him across the face before moving on, making sure that each of his guns were loaded. Pausing for an instant, he kicked down the door, both firearms extended forward.

That's when he realized that two six shooters wasn't enough.

Seventeen men were now watching him intently, guns drawn and aimed directly at him. He instantly recognized the Toguro brothers and the giant called Bui, and he guessed that the man seated in the plush red chair was Sakyou.

"Not bad at all." The illegitimate businessman mused, narrowing his eyes at the intruder as he took a drag of his smoke. Hiei could feel a bead of sweat run down along his jaw line from the top of his head as he frantically went over what to do in his head. This wasn't how he had planned it. The Toguros were supposed to die a slow death, not a quick one from desperation shots.

"But I can't help but wonder… who the hell are you?" The gang lord asked, reclining in his seat as he watched the desperado incredulously. Hiei's expression didn't falter once as he straightened himself.

"A ghost." He answered, his eyes landing on Toguro, the fire confined within them intensifying two fold. Sakyou took in another deep breath from his cigar, seeming interested. He followed Hiei's gaze to his bodyguard, smirking.

"Forgive me. I failed to notice the family resemblance." The murderer apologized, his ominous voice possessing a tone of humor. He returned his gun to his belt, nodding to the others to do that same.

"They said you most likely burned to death in the flames… but I never really believed that. I always knew that we would meet again."

"Brother, who is this?" the elder Toguro questioned, unsure of what was happening. The other smirked, showing off some fangs.

"Jaganshi." He answered, watching as his older brother suddenly gave a sick squeal of delight.

"Oh dear… back from the dead for more, hmm? Well I'd be happy to oblige." He laughed, readying to fire his gun when the Younger Toguro suddenly slapped it from his hands.

"No. This one is mine." He stated calmly, nodding to Hiei. The bandit sheathed his guns as Toguro's lackeys moved out of the way. Sakyou leaned forward, fascinated by the spectacle taking place as he furrowed his brows in concentration.

"Whenever you're ready." Toguro stated, spreading his legs apart slightly. Hiei frowned, taking a step back for a better footing. This was it. After years of tracking the merciless bastard he had finally caught up to him. He finally had the chance to make him play for the innocent blood that he had spilt so many nights ago.

The tension was palpable, bearing down on the shoulders of everyone in the large room. Hiei's eyes narrowed as he watched Toguro's right hand hover over his colt, twitching slightly. In a flash, the lone bandit's gun was loose from its holster, only to be dropped to the floor as a bullet ripped through his hand, forcing him to step back as another bullet tore through the fabric connecting his belt and his other holster, taking that pistol away from him as well.

Shocked, Hiei's wide crimson eyes locked on Toguro. How was he able to do that?

Toguro held two guns drawn. One was that colt that Hiei had seen at his waist, while the other was a smaller pistol that he had drawn from another pocket just before Hiei had unsheathed his own. Hiei cursed, reaching beneath his cloak for another weapon when Toguro fired another shot, this one blazing through his torso and splattering his blood on the wall behind him.

"Heh. Like father like son. Neither one of you can touch me." Toguro chuckled darkly as Hiei sank to his knees. He could feel his life leaving his body as his eyelids grew heavy. The last thing he saw was The elder Toguro licking his lips in anticipation.

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An unbearable stinging pain was what brought Hiei back to the realm of the living. It seemed that God couldn't just let him die so quickly. No, it was just Hiei's luck that the big man would want to see him suffer long and hard before oblivion took him.

Looking about weakly, he tried to get a bearing of his surroundings. He was in the wilderness, it seemed, just off to the side of a dirt road through the desert. To his right there were several horses, some of them with riders and some of them not. Those who weren't mounted stood beneath him, sneering up at him.

"You're awake I see." The Elder Toguro laughed, eyes twitching, "Good. I don't want you to miss it when the buzzards come to pick out your eyes."

Hiei stifled a groan as he rolled his head to the side. It was then that he realized just what the seering pain was the result of. Each of his hands was impaled upon a nail, which held him attached to a large chunk of wood carved into the shape of a cross.

"Hn…" Hiei managed, spitting up some blood into Elder Toguro's face, who merely laughed harder as he lapped it up with his tongue.

"Mmm… not a bad sample…." He trailed off, desire suddenly showing in his eyes, "I may even give your rotting corpse the same treat I gave your mothers…"

Hiei snarled, pulling at the nails in vain, his strength failing him as he allowed his body to go limp, his eyes drifting shut.

_**I failed.**_

A gunshot suddenly rang out through the silent desert air, forcing Hiei's eyelids to fly open. More gunshots were suddenly hear, accompanied by screams of agony as the men at the horses fell over dead.

"No…No…bastards…." He heard the wretched elder Toguro wail as he limped off quickly to his steed, holding his side as blood dripped down onto the desert sand from a bullet wound in his side.

"You're done, Jaganshi! You're DONE!" He shrieked after mounting the horse and kicking it, galloping off. Hiei struggled to keep consciousness, fighting with what he had left to keep his vision blur free. Before he passed out, he could have sword he saw his sister run out of a dead patch of weeds in his direction.

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Hiei Jaganshi awoke with a start, his skin drenched with sweat as he moved to sit up quickly, only to be restrained by a pair of soft hands.

"Hiei!" He heard a familiar feminine voice shout, "Hiei, you have to stay down or else you'll start bleeding again!"

He snorted defiantly, turning his head to the side. In that moment, crimson met violet.

"Hiei, it's okay… you're safe now." Botan assured him, keeping one hands on his bandaged torso while the other wiped some sweat from his brow. He managed to regain control of his breathing, forcing it to slow as his brows furrowed.

"...w-woman?"

Botan giggled softly, grabbing a washcloth and dipping it in a bucket of cold water at her side, "My name is Botan. Haven't we met?" She joked, placing the cloth on his forehead. He resisted the urge to moan as the cool waters rushed over his skin, making all the pain in his body subside for that brief instant.

"Hn." Hiei answered, closing his eyes for a moment, "You followed me." He stated more than asked. She gave a small smile and a nod as she continued to rinse him in cold water.

"Bingo. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Keiko are outside." She answered.

"And where are we?"

"At my home. My father, Mayor Enma, won't let any of those killers near here."

Hiei nodded weakly in response, now staring at the ceiling.

"You were the one who killed those men?" He questioned, giving her a disbelieving look. She gave another soft smile.

"I told you I could shoot. My father made my brother Koenma and I learn when we were younger. If you haven't figured out yet, this isn't the friendliest place." She chuckled, applying more water, for which he was very grateful.

"You're…. not really a soap salesman, are you, Hiei?" She pointed out more than asked. Hiei allowed a smirk to play on his lips.

"Hn. No. Not quite."

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**A/N: **Alright. That's chapter 4. Yes, I intentionally made Elder Toguro messed up as hellllllllll. Leave me a review or two? My thing says 104 views, but only 6 reviews. Am I that bad?

Peace!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I DON'T OWN YU YU HAKUSHO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!!! WOOOOOOOOO!!!!

**A/N: **Sorry about the wait. I've been busy with stuff lately and I had too do a little bit of work on some other stories before coming back to this one. After rereading this, I found myself asking "Where the hell were you at when you wrote this?". What I mean is, it seams overly simplistic and all around sub par. So, I will be trying much, much, much, much, much, much, much…..

Continue saying "much" for about an hour….

…much, much, much harder to give this story a feel of what actual western stories and films had. Give it about 3 chapters, and if there's no improvement then I'll scrap the thing.

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**Chapter 5**

"Look, I understand where you're coming from but what the hell did you want me to do?!" argued Sheriff Urameshi, rubbing his temples as he leaned forward in his seat.

"You should have left him in the street to bleed!" shouted back another man, much larger than the other. He was dressed properly in an expensive looking white shirt, black bow tie, and buttoned up velvet vest. His dark beard was epic in size and the curly locks tuck out in every which direction as his lips moved with great emphasis, spit flying from his mouth. "You should have never brought him into this conflict to begin with! How do you think this would look in Washington?!"

Yusuke exhaled deeply, running a hand down his face until both of his elbows came to rest on his legs as he hunched forward.

"Exactly! My son is a respectable senator, Mr. Urameshi! Do you honestly think that the capital would turn a blind eye to his father conspiring with… with a murderer?!"

"Enma…"

"Mayor Daioh!"

"….Mayor Daioh…" Yusuke grumbled, gritting his teeth as he resisted the urge to slug the stuck up fatass, "He's not a common killer! If you could see what he does with a gun…"

"I don't want to!" The Mayor roared back, getting to his feet and pacing about, a massive hand rising to fix his spectacles upon his nose. Frowning, he turned to a nearby shelf on a wall and quickly snatched a portrait from it, thrusting it in front of the officer. In the black and white photo was a young man sitting straight up in a chair. He looked as if he had so much authority that he could decide who went to heaven and who went to hell.

"You know my son Koenma." He barked, locking eyes with Yusuke, who nodded, "You call yourself his friend. You've known him since you were young. WHY would you put him at such great risk?!"

"For Christ's sake, he'll be alright!" The younger of the two shouted back, now getting to his feet as the Mayor turned his back on him, "This isn't enough to cost him his political career! Shit, you know that!"

Mayor Daioh turned to face him, a deep frown playing on his face as his enormous and bushy brows furrowed.

"What is it that's really got you so riled up about this?" Yusuke asked, his voice regaining some of its composure. Enma Daioh paused for a moment, opening his mouth to speak before shutting it.

"No more stunts like this." He managed after another few seconds drifted by, "You hear me? Or it's your badge."

Yusuke sighed, fixing his belt, "Yeah, I hear ya."

"Urameshi, don't you think we should be hiding somewhere?" Kuwabara suddenly asked, making his presence noticeable from where he had been seated. Yusuke shook his head.

"Nah, this place is as safe as we'll get for now." He answered, casting the Mayor a questioning look and receiving a nod.

"Yes, I have my best men on duty as we speak. They're all young veterans from the war, not novice thralls like Sakyo employs." The large man said, resting his palms on a nearby dining table as shutting his eyes for a moment as he leaned against it slightly. Kuwabara got to his feet, scratching his carrot colored hair as he trotted over to the window of the room, pushing aside the expensive looking red curtain and casting his gaze out onto the streets below. Life was going on as usual in the town, despite the fact that there was now a possibly that the town hall would be up in smoke by sunset.

"Hey, looks like Kurama's come to join the party." The depute voiced aloud, earning a hopeful and surprised grin from Yusuke and a groan from Enma.

"Yeah?" The sheriff asked, moving beside his partner and looking down. Sure enough, a man possessing both a poised swagger and a flowing fiery mane. The Mayor cursed under his breath, running a hand over his balding head until it reached his slicked back hair on the rear side.

"A murderer AND a gambler. Phenomenal." He muttered dryly, moving to a nearby liquor cabinet and opening it up, his massive hands immediately grabbing a vial of bourbon.

"This'll work. Trust me." Yusuke said cockily, his grin still in place as he looked over his shoulder at Mayor Daioh, who offered a disbelieving and desperate sounding sort of noise as he tossed back his alchohol.

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"The nerve…" Keiko grumbled to herself as he sat outside of the room that her husband-to-be was in upon a comfortable orange couch. Her arms were crossed firmly in place over her chest and a scowl was plastered on her face as she glared down every single person who dared to walk by her.

First armed men had broken into her home, and now she was being forced to sit and wait alone as she was left out of all the information exchanging. If she were not such a proper women, various vocabulary words would be escaping from her mouth at high volume.

"Excuse me, miss… oh, Ms. Yukimora. So good to see you." A calm and silk like voice suddenly spoke, ripping her from her angry and violent thoughts. Looking up, she came face to face with a red haired man that she had seen Yusuke with just a few times before now… oh, what was his name?

"Kurama, Ms. Yukimora. Youko Kurama." He said smoothly, a tranquil smile fixed on his face. Keiko felt her troubles suddenly fade away from her thoughts as the man took her hand gently in his and planted a kiss on it. She fought the blush violently that threatened to rise up to overwhelm her cheeks.

"Is your fiancé in this next room, perhaps?" Kurama asked politely, cocking his head to the side. Welcome back, anger. Keiko nodded, her frown returning in full swing. Picking up on her change in mood, Kurama decided to have some fun.

"And he left you all by yourself out in this dismal corridor?" He asked, faking disbelief. Keiko looked up, happy that at least one other person thought it as rude as she did, "That is by far one of the most far fetched trials that I have ever seen a man put an upstanding woman such as yourself through. Please, allow me to escort you in." He finished, offering her his arm.

"Why, thank you so much, Mr. Kurama." She said, accepting the offer and linking with him at the elbow. Smirking, the Lord of Vice turned the handle on the door and pushed it open, allowing the two to step inside.

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The room both well lit and well furnished, and not to mention well populated. For a place that had experienced such death just hours ago it was truly alive. Various men from various social classes stood about and talked, sipping champagne, wine, and hard cider as they mingled. However, this party was a mere excuse for the arrival of so many people to Sakyo's estate. It happened annually, once every half of a year. The biggest names and the biggest investors in the underworld, whether they be from North, South, or West, gathered for a meeting to discuss problems, successes, and plans for the future.

In another room of the mansion, much more dimly lit than the other, several well groomed and formal looking men sat about a long wooden table, over which were strewn multiple papers, charts, and maps.

"What I'm saying, Gentlemen, is that this mine will easily make our pockets at least ten times heavier." Sakyo spoke aloud, his expression relaxed and composed as he drew a deep breath from his cigar. You sometimes had to squint to see in front of you due to the heavy smoke that weighed down upon the air from so many smoking men.

"That may be so, but in order to continue the construction we would have to increase our individual revenues each by over 25 per year. No doubt this will garner unwanted attention from the authorities." Another man spoke, leaning back in his seat and flipping through a packet in his hands. Sakyo nodded, leaning forward and intertwining his hands before him.

"Yes, that's correct." He answered, continuing on despite the hoarse whispers that suddenly filled the room along with the smoke, "But as we've already learned, the law can be ignored for the right amount of money. For short term profit, I realize that this will be a huge back step. But in the long run I assure you this mining network will secure our financial futures."

"I just don't know, Sakyo. It seems like to much of a risk to me." Another man voiced, running a hand through his aged beard, "What if your expectations are wrong about the abundance of gold in these caves?"

"I assure you that is not the case." The leader responded, getting to his feet and snapping his fingers. Several low ranking soldiers standing off to his right approached the table, placing an item covered in a black cloth upon it. Sakyo smirked.

"Gentlemen. A taste." He announced as he pulled back the sheet, revealing a massive block of 24 carrot gold. Instantly every person at the table was on their feet, several studying the precious alloy through special spectacles as others argued quickly in favor of supporting the mine.

"This puts my doubts to rest."

"You have my support, Sakyo."

"Excellent. As a token of good will" Sakyou began, raising his voice to speak over the masses, "I will now show my true faith in this project by investing 99 of all my assets to it." He declared, earning cheers as men eagerly began drafting checks and letters to banks. From the corner, Toguro watched stoically. He didn't care for the rats that comprised this committee. However, there was little doubt that this deal gave him the opportunity for profit as well. Who else but him could they hire to make sure everything ran smoothly? If they chose someone else, he would rob the place!

Suddenly the door kicked down, causing all in the room to jump and look up in surprise. The closest ones to the door huddled back, desperately trying to escape the presence of the thing that stood before them.

"Brother!" wailed the pathetic form of Elder Toguro, his limbs hanging loosely as he staggered into the room, blood dripping onto the carpet from his many wounds. The younger brother frowned, gritting his teeth behind closed lips.

"He escaped!" The sickening beast cried, holding a bullet wound in his left shoulder, "They swarmed us! From all around! I killed at least twenty of them but they just kept coming!" He lied, falling to his knees at his younger brother's feet.

"Sakyo, what is…"

"Pay no attention, Gentlemen. Please, help yourselves to the refreshments in the next room as I prepare the documents to be finalized." Sakyo announced, maintaining composure. Unsure and slightly unnerved, the businessmen and crime lords exited the office quickly without looking back. As soon as they had all left, Sakyo shut the door tightly.

"Toguro…" He began lowly, turning to the younger of the two, who held up a massive hand.

"I did the best that I could, brother! I swear it!" The wretch sobbed on the floor, "But we can still get him! There's time! Jaganshi was on the verge of death when they came!"

"You should not have interrupted the meeting. It was unprofessional." The juggernaut answered coolly, fixing his shades.

"Who gives a damn about those bastards?! Jaganshi is alive! We should bleed him now while we have the chance! One of the men said that he was taken to the town hall!"

"Then we will do nothing." Younger Toguro answered, earning a look of dismay from his older sibling. He looked to Sakyo, who nodded.

"Yes, that would be an unfortunate decision. I am afraid that while you work for me I cannot allow any action against the Mayor to take place."

"WHAT?! Then to hell with you, we resign!" Elder Toguro spat, only to receive a powerful fist across the face from his brother. He skidded several feet back across the floor, scrambling back up to his feet using a nearby desk.

"You would hit me?! I'm your brother, dammit!"

"Enough. Our first obligation is to our contractor. Jaganshi can be dealt with later. As we saw today, he's of no threat to us." Younger Toguro stated, returning his hands to his pockets.

"I'm glad we're in agreement. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to do some damage control." Sakyo said, dismissing himself with a bow from the room. The elder Toguro stood seething, biting his lip as his eyes bulged from their sockets. His brother merely grunted as he walked by him without sparing a glance.

"Get someone to clean out your wounds. I'm not touching you."

----------------------------------------

"I said sorry!" Yusuke shouted as he received another smack to the head from Keiko as she continued to berate him for leaving her in the hall, "Keiko! KEIKO!!"

"My home has turned into a circus…" Mayor Daioh murmured from his desk, resting his head in his large hands as he closed his eyes, trying to rid himself of his horrible headache. Kurama, paying no heed to authority, casually smoked a cigar as he lounged in a chair not far from the brawl taking place, his right leg crossed over the other comfortably.

"If you don't mind my interjection, I would suggest that we get down to the matter at hand." He voiced calmly, causing Keiko to stop beating her fiancé, Yusuke to stop screaming and Kuwabara to stop cowering in the corner.

"I too received unexpected visitors this morning. It would seem that my under the radar cooperation with you has not gone unnoticed, Yusuke." The redhead explained, pausing to examine the lit end of his smoke, "Three of my men are dead. That leaves me with only seven."

"And they can be trusted?" Kuwabara questioned, emerging from his hiding place to stand next to the sheriff. Kurama chuckled.

"Heavens, no. However, I am sure that I am the only one who is paying them for their services at the moment. And how many do you have that we could use?"

"It's just me and Kuwabara." The sheriff answered, frowning as he ignored the glare he was receiving from Keiko, "I'm almost positive the others are getting paid off by Sakyo." He finished, looking at the Mayor for a moment. It was the big man himself who had said that he would not be firing the corrupt officers. Yusuke recalled being fairly pissed upon discovering that the Mayor would not even provide him with reasons as to why.

"Then that gives us eleven _good men_ if your comrade is feeling up to it. I must admit, while taking on the entire Sakyo complex by yourself requires a great deal of testicular fortitude, of also signifies a lack of common sense." The drug lord mused, taking another puff of tobacco. Yusuke sighed.

"Either that or…" The sheriff trailed off, earning an inquisitive look from the redhead.

"Or…?"

"… or there's something else goin' on that we aren't seeing."

------------------------------

"So you've really seen Indians?" Botan asked excitedly as she continued to stitch away at the largest cut adorning Hiei's body, taking a moment to look up at his face. As it had been all day, it lacked any sort of emotion as he gave a nod, resisting the urge to wince as the needle stabbed through a soft spot of flesh. The woman was certainly not the best nurse, however, she would suffice. The bandit had quickly sent away any others who would come to try to mend his injuries. He was no fan of being prodded by complete strangers.

"I wish I could get out more to see nature." She rambled on. It had been that way for the last few hours. She would talk…. at great length…. and Hiei would respond with one or two words, if any at all.

"My father keeps me on a pretty short leash though. Koenma too, when he was still here. I told you that he's a United States Senator, right? Our father was so proud when he went off to the capital. Everyone wished him well, even Mr. Sakyo!" She said, cutting the thread that she had used to sew Hiei's flesh, "Now that he's gone it's just me that my father worries about. He wants me to be like one of those princesses back in Europe, but all I want to do is see the countryside. Too bad he keeps me cooped up in here all day, right?"

"Hn." Hiei grunted, reaching back and folding his hands behind his head as though they together formed a pillow. As he moved, his muscles rippled and upon arriving at the desired position Botan found her eyes constantly wandering back to his bulging biceps.

"Well, I should get more water." She said suddenly, gulping as she grabbed the wooden bucket that was still halfway full.

"Woman, there's plenty." The desperado stated, looking at the item in her hands and watching as she set it back down. Giving a small smile, she nodded.

"I suppose so." She said, returning to her chair beside the bed, "So what's your story?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. Hiei raised an eyebrow.

"Your history! Where do you come from?" She elaborated, still smiling. Hiei snorted.

"It's not important."

"Yes it is! It's important to remember where we come from! It helps us figure out where we're going!" She giggled in response, still watching him.

"… The South." He said dryly after a moment, causing her smile to grow.

"Ok! Where in the South?"

"… The Western South."

"No, silly, I mean what town." Botan stifled another giggle as she folded her hands on her lap. Her blue ponytail bobbed slightly as she moved her head.

"I don't know." He answered stoically, looking up at the ceiling now. Botan's smile faded. She hadn't meant to bring up a sensitive subject.

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"Hn. Don't be." He said. It sounded more like an order, actually, when she thought about it. She nodded and leaned in slightly.

"Hiei… why did you go after them?" She allowed to slip out. She felt herself wishing that she hadn't but she continued anyways.

"Why didn't you just wait for Yusuke? Then none of this would have happened…"

"…A man who works for Sakyo stole something from me." He answered slowly, his voice deep and cold. Botan nodded, and despite the fear that gripped her tightly, continued.

"What did he steal?"

Hiei didn't answer with words, but instead looked over to their right. Hanging beside the door on a coat hanger was his cloak, scarf, and the rest of his attire minus his hat. Pity. He had loved that hat.

"Chest pocket on the left." He said, pointing to the cloak. She got up slowly and walked over to the clothing, reaching inside of the designated pocket and withdrawing something that was small and felt cold. Opening her hand, she looked down at the beautiful locket in her hands and went back over to Hiei.

"It's beautiful…"

"Hn. I couldn't care loss about the locket and chain." The desperado stated, opening his palm. Botan gently placed it in his hands and watched as he flicked it open, revealing the aged black and white photograph of a young women who looked similar to Hiei.

"…your sister?" She guessed, earning a nod. She took it delicately back into her hands and examined the photo, giving a small smile. "Where is she?"

"…"

"….oh…."

Slowly, she placed the locket back into Hiei's hand, closing his fingers around it for him and placing his hand on his chest.

"Do you… want to be alone?" She asked hesitantly, getting ready to stand. His answer was simple.

"No."

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**A/N: **Alright. Hopefully this is where I'll be able to kick the story up a notch. Expect twists and turns, that's all I'm gonna say. Oh yea, and of course….

**REVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEW!!**

As an added bonus, one of those reviews is spelled wrong! Tell me which one it is(in a review) and get a prize!! But honestly, thanks for reading the fic so far and bearing with me and its crappiness. Hopefully with some modifications this story will be worthy of your love.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters.

**A/N: **A thousand apologies for the long wait, but better late than never, eh? I've been slowly crushed beneath a tide of schoolwork, and the track season starts soon so I have been and will be training for that. But I will try to get on an update when I can, scout's honor.

Also, while I hate it when people put plugs in their stories, the Just-In page hasn't been showing any updates for my other fic _Kingdom of Heaven._ So please, please, please give that a looksy if you would.

P.S. – For everyone who found the misspelled "review", here is your appreciation gift. I APPRECIATE YOU! Yes. I am a bastard.

**Chapter 6**

_Red._

_Blood Red._

_The color of rage.__The color of pain._

_The color of hell._

_It was everywhere. __On everything.__The bed.__The walls.__The floor._

_The house slept peacefully now under the blanket of the night. Darkness engulfed every nook and __cranny of the home save__ for in one room. A candle sporting a small, withering ember of a flame sat upon a small nightstand. The dying light flickered weakly, its presence slowly diminishing as shadow began to devour it from all sides._

_However, even as it died the fire cast its glow upon the culprit of the horrid scene. The beast seemed more illuminated than anything else in the room, in fact, as if the light was the accusing finger of God himself. _

_Twisted.__Deformed.__ It was a true monstrosity. Its dry hair hung from around his helm, his eyes rotting in their sockets as his flesh seemed as though it was slowly peeling. And even in this state, the abomination bore a sick grin. Its fangs flashed in the dim light as its slime drenched tongue slid through its dry and chapped lips, sliding over the animal's face as far as it could reach and lapping up the blood there greedily. _

_The sight was sickening. A woman __lay__ strewn out upon a crimson-stained bed, her spread legs an indication of what had occurred minutes ago. Her flesh was pale and now cold as stone, her eyes which had once glistened now gone dull. The monster admired its handiwork as it finished putting on its belt with wrinkled and decaying hands, its eyes narrowing into slits as he examined a particular wound it had left her._

_The bite mark left by the beast's fangs dug deep into her flesh, yet no blood poured forth from the gaping puncture marks. How could it? It was all currently in his stomach, satisfying his bizarre and insatiable hunger._

_"…mother…" Elder __Toguro__ chuckled darkly as he reached within the pocket of his coat, withdrawing from within a vial of liquor. Smirking, he twisted off the cap and poured out the contents of the bottle upon the bed. The drink soaked the corpse and tear stained sheets even more than they had previously been. The monster then lit a match, cackling as he tossed it carelessly onto the bed, watching the scene go up in flames._

_It was then that he took a seat in a nearby chair, reclining and ignoring the snapping of his bones and joints as he did so. Watching the dancing flames, he picked up the harmonica seated upon the table beside him and began to play. _

_Thunder rolled across the Western sky as God cringed in disgust._

---------------

Yusuke awoke with a start, finding himself sitting up in his bed both drenched in sweat and holding a pistol extended forward, shaking violently. His wide eyes locked on the weapon as he forced himself to exhale slowly, his arm lowering itself to his side.

"Christ…" He murmured to himself, rubbing his eyes with his other hand and leaning back against the wall behind the cot. His gaze drifted to the sleeping figure of his fiancé and became fixated on watching chest rise and fall as she slept soundly.

Shaking himself, he looked away, realizing that if the woman were to wake up and spot him ogling her chest she would beat him senseless.

He smiled weakly as he stepped off of the bed, clad only in a pair of undergarments. He shivered as his bare feet touched the cold wooden floor, but continued on his way towards the dresser in which he had placed a pair of clothes.

He needed to take a walk. He needed to clear his head. And this _castle_ had plenty of room to explore. Sliding his shirt on over his muscular shoulders, the sheriff stepped through the doorway of the room and shut it gingerly behind him as not to wake Keiko. He almost jumped out of his skin when he turned and came face to face with a large photo of Mayor Daioh.

"Shit." He cursed, giving a weak laugh and moving quietly down the hall.

The place was huge, yet to him it seemed small. He had spent a lot of time here when he was younger, usually playing hide-and-go-seek or tag with Koenma. He remembered how intimidating the building seemed back then, and now the only thing that was having any luck at unnerving him were the pictures of old and ugly men frowning on all of the walls.

_"Note to self: Never get old."_ He thought to himself, turning another corner and moving down another hallway with large windows all along its right side. As he walked he looked through them and out at the world. There wasn't a star in the sky tonight, but the moon stood strong and full looking down at him with a sort of condescending look.

Condescending look? Since when did the moon give looks? Yusuke frowned and shook his head.

_"Fuck you, Moon." _

-----------------------------------------

"Hn." Hiei grunted as he examined his right hand, holding it up and closing one eye.

The woman had done a surprisingly good job at tending to his injuries. Sure, it still stung a great deal but that's to be expected when you've been crucified. The wrappings she had placed were tight and snug, yet loose enough to not cause him any additional pain.

Maybe she wasn't _completely_ worthless. Though he hated admitting that he owed his life to some naïve girl, she had managed to save his life when he thought that his death was imminent.

That, he convinced himself, was why he did not throw her off of him when she had fallen asleep with her head rested on his abdomen, his left arm pinned as well beneath her sleeping form. He frowned visibly as he felt her steady breath tickling his stomach every time she exhaled, forcing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end and his skin to tingle.

Now that he thought about it, the woman looked very much like how he remembered his mother. He closed his eyes and let out a low growl in his throat as he fought off the memories.

He would kill them. All of them. Every last member of Toguro's band. And he would smile while he did it. Caught up in his own blood soaked thoughts, he failed to notice his free hand unconsciously moving strands of blue hair from Botan's face.

-------------

"And that will be another win for me." Kurama chuckled, showing his hand of cards to the men seated around him at a large table. Groans erupted from almost every throat as the gamblers laid eyes on the straight flush before them.

The redhead didn't bother trying to fight the large smile that played on his lips as he raked in his profits, his emerald eyes sparkling as they took in all the money. All of _his_ money.

Unlike the other members of his new _team_, he refused to stay in the town hall. He saw himself as a man with class, and a man with class never leaves their home just because someone wants to burn it down. Which was why he sat here, in his saloon, a cigar in his hand and a prostitute on his lap, her legs parted just enough so that her skirt would not block Kurama from taking a quick glimpse at her panties between hands.

"My deal then, is it?" He asked, taking a drag of his cigar and blowing several smoke rings in the air. Placing his smoke in the ashtray on the table, he skillfully shuffled the deck of cards without even glancing down at it.

"I win this hand and you show me that _Reverse Cowgirl_ again. Deal?" He whispered in the woman's ear, earning a giggle and a nod as he began to deal the cards. He didn't stop as a man approached him from behind and bent at the waist to whisper something in his ear.

"Gentlemen, madame, I will be back in a moment." He said as he moved the hooker from his lap and stood, following the man away from the table and through the double doors which led outside into the street. It was a warm night and the sky was dotted with stars, each one twinkling brightly.

"Hello, Kurama."

The redhead laughed softly for a moment before turning about to face the source of the suave voice. Sure enough, there stood Sakyo dressed to impress with a large cigar place between his lips.

"Sakyo. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Kurama answered, maintaining his cool as the businessman stepped towards him.

"Fox," Sakyo began, calling the gambler by the nickname he had earned in his card games, "I know about your little _rendezvous _with Sheriff Urameshi and Mayor Daioh. And as you well know, I am aware of the wanderer named Hiei Jaganshi that has taken up residence with them."

"I understand where you're coming from, Kurama. I would consider the same thing were I in your shoes. I own every saloon in the territory save for yours. I bring in at least twenty times more revenue than you do. In a sense, I am a _successful _you." He paused, taking another puff from his smoke.

"You're considering working together with the law and taking me out of the picture. A sound strategy, for sure. Eliminate the competition. With me dead my enterprise would plummet to its death and that would leave only you for the addicts, whores, gunslingers, thieves, killers, prospectors, and gamblers to run to. But the small detail that I believe you may have overlooked is the simple question: How would you pull it off?"

"I own this town. That means I own the guns in this town as well. That also means I own the men who hold the guns in this town. And for a few dollars, I can have them point their guns at you. That includes the men you're currently playing with in there." Sakyo stated, gesturing back towards the Saloon.

"It's you, the sheriff, his depute, and some drifter against a small army. I'm telling you this because I like you. If you come after me, I will burn every dollar you've ever earned right in front of your eyes and then I will put a bullet in your skull. Even you're not lucky enough to live through that." He finished, turning on his heel.

"You have yourself a good night." He said, waving a hand as he disappeared into the night. Kurama frowned deeply, his fists clenched tightly and a malicious glint shining in his emerald eyes. That bastard hadn't come to dissuade him. He had come to provoke him. The redhead cursed Sakyo's name as he realized that his plan had worked.

-------------------------------

Yusuke gently pushed the door open, cringing as it made a weak creaking sound. With caution he stepped into the dimly lit room and shut it behind him, his eyes taking in his surroundings before looking to his right.

"What." Hiei questioned, his face blank as his crimson eyes locked with the sheriff's brown ones. Yusuke offered a small smile.

"Can't sleep." He answered, noticing Botan's sleeping form and where her head lay. Hiei frowned visibly.

"Hn. Not a word." He ordered, gesturing to another seat propped up against the far wall. Yusuke grabbed it and placed it beside Botan, lowering himself onto it and reclining as he resisted the urge to laugh.

"You look comfortable." He said, grinning like an idiot. Hiei's glare intensified two fold as his fists clenched.

"Why are you here?" The bandit asked dryly, allowing his head to return to where it had originally rested against his pillow. Yusuke's smile faded as he furrowed his brows.

"Hiei…" He started, thinking carefully on what words to use, "You haven't bee totally honest with me, have you?"

Hiei snorted, his burning gaze drifting upwards to the ceiling.

"Why did you really come to San Guadelupe?" The sheriff questioned, leaning forward.

"That's none of your business."

"Bullshit it's not my business!" Yusuke shouted, looking pissed. Botan stirred a bit in her sleep, moving more into Hiei's chest as though it were a pillow. The desperado remained silent as he looked down at her, thinking as he gently coaxed her back into sleep by rubbing her shoulder.

"I lied when I said I was only looking for a bed." He said quietly, his voice sounding deeper than usual.

"Yeah, I figured that much out." Yusuke answered, watching him tend to the mayor's daughter.

"Hn. I've been tracking the Toguro brothers for some time. However, I had heard that they were in El Paso, which was why I was caught off guard when you told me that they were here. I didn't want a bed, I just got stuck here while passing through." Hiei explained, his expression stoic as a rock, as always.

"Why?" The sheriff pressed, watching Hiei's brows furrow slightly.

"They took my life from me." He responded, his voice cold as winter. He gently took Botan's hand and forced it to open, his silver locket falling from her clutches. Unfortunately for him, her grasp immediately shut around his, trapping him there. He rolled his eyes but did not frown.

"I got it." Yusuke said, reaching for the locket and examining it. After studying it for about a minute, he flicked it up so see the portrait held within. He'd been called an idiot on many occasions, be he could put two and two together. Giving a weak smile, he tossed it back to Hiei, watching as his gaze followed it to where it landed on his stomach.

"Hn." The bandit murmured, allowing his eyes to close. He was surprised at what Yusuke said next.

"I'll let you be the one to take him out. Just let us get you to him."

Hiei opened one of his eyes, regarding the sheriff critically for a moment before nodding, a smirk appearing on his face. Maybe he had made a mistake when he was figuring Yusuke out from his jail cell. At first he had planned on simply ditching him and the oaf whenever they looked the other way, but when he learned that his quarry was here he accepted them as a necessary hindrance for the time. While his opinion of Kuwabara certainly hadn't changed, the sheriff was another case. He felt himself growing somewhat annoyed at the fact that he actually liked him.

That would make the sheriff his first friend.

"Hn." He managed, throwing in a nod along with it. Yusuke's smile grew a bit as he got to his feet, rubbing his bandaged side. Bullets hurt. No ands, ifs, or buts about it.

"First though, we need to get rid of these damn aches." He laughed, scratching the side of his head and grinning, "I'll leave you in the capable hands of the doctor." He added, rubbing Botan's head as it she were a puppy dog. Hiei gave a grunt, but let himself smirk as Yusuke removed himself from the room.

Botan's violet orbs creaked open, moving about to find whatever had woken her up. Instead she found Hiei looking down at her curiously, a smirk on his face.

"Sleep well?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow. Smiling, she nodded and burrowed herself into him more.

"Bingo… you make a good pillow." She complimented, suddenly realizing that she was holding onto his hand.

"Woops." She said, letting go and giving an impish smile, "Sorry."

"Hn." Hiei snorted, grabbing her hand quickly and holding it as she had held his. To her great surprise then, especially considering his wounds, he wrapped his arms around her and hoisted her up onto the bed, allowing her to lay next to him and get comfortable.

"Sleeping in chairs isn't good for your back, woman." He stated, earning a giggle from her.

"That's funny coming from the man who sleeps in trees." She teased, snuggling closer to him. It was a strange sensation for the wanderer, but it wasn't a bad one. No. He imagined that he could get used to this.

"Sleep, woman." He commanded, closing his eyes as she did the same. In his last moments of consciousness, Hiei almost laughed. This would be the first good rest he had gotten in years.

The woman definitely wasn't worthless.

-----------------------------------

**A/N: **And that's that for now. I've gotta go get to work on my AP History crap now, so I leave you all to read this chapter as I suffer through the long and enduring hell that awaits me.

Hugs and kisses.


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